In August the 2015 Documentary Screening Tour of the Ministry of Culture’s Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development (BAMID) set out on a trip around Taiwan. The theme this year was “seeking,” with a selection of 25 Taiwanese documentaries on a variety of topics all illustrating the connection between Taiwanese and the land, telling tales of dreams being pursued, and showcasing traditional arts.

Building on the momentum from previous such tours, in recent years an interdisciplinary skill base has developed around the making of documentaries, inspiring creative new approaches and creating a higher caliber of film. And with this year marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, the past few months have seen an influx of documentaries on that era in Taiwan, all hoping to harness the power of the moving image to help Taiwanese understand their history better.

Ataabu II shows the true face of history

Following on from 2013’s ­Ataabu, this year’s ­Ataabu II continues the tale of the Lin family of Wu­feng, Tai­chung.

Ataabu is the ­Hoanya Aboriginal name of Wu­feng. The Lin family that is the focus of the film began their history in Taiwan in 1746 with the arrival of Lin Shi, rising to prominence over 210 years until the passing of Lin Xian­tang, known as “the father of the Taiwanese parliament,” in Japan in 1956. Over three generations, the family was part of some of the most important moments in Taiwanese history.

“The history of the Lin family is inextricably linked with Taiwan’s recent history,” says Khan Lee, producer of ­Ataabu, “and whenever they were faced with big decisions, one wrong step could have been their end.” After beginning to understand recent Taiwanese history, Lee started feeling that most Taiwanese are strangers to their history, and he began considering using the power of images to inspire the people of Taiwan to investigate their collective historical memory. “We have to understand Taiwan’s history as a nation of immigrants, getting a greater sense of who we are, because only when you know the past can you really face the future.”

Working with director Hsu Ming-chun, Lee began looking for a way to tell the story of the Lin family. This required bringing together the worlds of academia, documentaries, and cinema, because “no one side can properly deal with a topic this big,” according to Lee. “When you make a historical documentary, you have to make sure to dot every ‘i’ and cross every ‘t,’ because, in our case, we had to face critical examination by the Lin family, academia, and the political world.”

Before shooting even began on the first film, the team had spent two years poring through historical documents in preparation. With the story so sweeping, the original plan was for three films, but the process of securing finance was so arduous that the team ultimately decided to aim for a two-part series. Shooting the first of the two even required producer Lee to tap his own funds, almost bankrupting him. He also spent much time on international phone calls, discussing the project with his brother Ang Lee. With the support of his elder brother, Khan Lee found the strength to push on.

For Ataabu II, Lee chose to use a documentary drama format, something not attempted in Taiwan before. With the team having to find their own way through this new style, it took five years to complete just two films. “We did our best not to let our own viewpoints and emotions color the movie, and we all approached it with a mix of calm and passion, trying to give the audience something to think about. We were all very sincere about wanting to inspire critical thinking about history in the next generation,” says Lee.

A tribute to the Air Force

Distributed by the General Association of Chinese Culture and CNEX, The Rocking Sky transports viewers back to World War II, and to the courageous efforts of the Republic of China Air Force to fight back against the Japanese. To accurately recreate the era, the produ­cers not only collected a significant amount of historical information from both Japan and the US, they also used animation to bring to life the classic aircraft involved and the death-defying aerial combat they engaged in.

Director ­Chang Chao-Wei notes, “War isn’t just about the men—the women also played an important part.” ­Chang specifically chose to focus on three women who had close ties to the ­ROCAF—Lin Hui­yin, modern ­China’s first female architect and sister to a downed ­ROCAF pilot; Qi Bang­yuan, the “mother of Taiwanese literature”; and Xu Xi­lin, wife of ace pilot Liu Cui­gang. He embarked on an effort to collect as much of their writings and correspondence as he could, giving a new perspective on how the war impacted the people of the ROC through the film’s female perspective.

In the course of a year and a half’s production work, the crew consulted with nearly 40 veterans and family members. The premiere, at which President Ma Ying-jeou was in attendance, was held at Zhong­shan Hall in Tai­pei, the same place the Japanese signed the instrument of surrender that turned Taiwan over to the Republic of China.

Director and chair of the Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee Sylvia ­Chang, herself the daughter of an ­ROCAF pilot, took time out of her busy schedule to provide the voice for Lin Hui­yin. ­Chang remarked that when she read Lin’s elegy to her fallen brother, she was moved to tears in the voice booth on several occasions. The Rocking Sky is not just a tale of the courage of ROC pilots, but also a moving, human historical epic.

Highlighting the lives of former comfort women

On August 14, 1991, Korean woman Kim Hak-sun became the first to speak up publicly about Japan’s use of “comfort women,” of which she was one. In the years since, documentaries on the subject of “comfort women” have been made in Korea, mainland China, Taiwan and Japan. On the same date 24 years later, Taiwan’s latest contribution, Song of the Reed, premiered. Song of the Reed was filmed in 2011 and 2012, recording the twilight years of a group of Taiwanese victims.

Director Wu Hsiu-­ching spent three-plus years producing the film, and made an effort to eschew the usual melancholy approach to the issue, instead focusing on the women’s tragic failure in their lawsuit against the Japanese government and how they transformed that failure into a source of strength. It follows them as they participate in therapy, and showcases the positive attitudes these women have toward life even as they doggedly pursue justice, making the film all the more affecting.

Raising funds for a theatrically released documentary can be tremendously challenging. In this case the Tai­pei Women’s Rescue Foundation, which has been at the side of these women for two decades, led the charge. Using an online crowdfunding platform, they were able to reach their fundraising target in just over a month, demonstrating the genuine concern Taiwanese have with this issue.

Coming home again

After the war, many Japanese born in Taiwan between 1895 and 1946 were forced to leave their place of birth behind. In Japanese, these children were known as wan­sei (Taiwan-born), and while they held Japanese passports, their home was in Taiwan.

The book Wan­sei Back Home collects the stories of 22 wansei, telling of the lives of Japanese working to open up Taiwan’s east coast, of the hardships and discrimination wan­sei faced upon returning to their “homeland,” and of their return to Taiwan to seek out the places of their childhoods. The book’s author Mika Ta­naka is herself the grandchild of wan­sei, and spent 12 years collecting the stories of wan­sei in Taiwan and Japan. This effort involved 40 interpreters and translators, and to fund the operation Ta­naka sold her home. Her only concern was to help these aging wan­sei find their roots again. Now, after five years’ effort, her book has finally made the transition to the silver screen.

Helmed by veteran director Ko I-chen and produced by Ta­naka, the film version of Wan­sei Back Home captures the journey of eight wansei on a journey to Taiwan to find their roots again. In order to make the film the best it could be, the producers combined aerial photography with images from the past, while Tu Du-chih, a Cannes award winner, handled sound effects and Golden-Horse-nominated composer Baby ­Chung crafted a magnificent score. Through 18 months of editing work, the more than 1,000 hours of raw footage was cut down to a 110-minute film full of smiles and tears, hope and love.

Taiwan’s history is bigger than can be told in just a handful of documentaries, but fortunately, despite the difficulties involved, more and more artists are interested in taking on the challenge and standing up for Taiwanese people’s right to tell their own histories. Through documentaries like these, we can not only understand Taiwan’s past, but also make her present better. Through documentaries like these, Taiwan can get a new perspective on herself.

The 2015 Documentary Screening Tour traveled Taiwan showing 25 outstanding recent Taiwanese documentaries grouped in three categories: “Chasing Memory,” “Chasing Art,” and “Chasing Dreams.” (courtesy of BAMID)

The Lin family of Wufeng was one of Taiwan’s great clans for three generations, their history closely linked with Taiwan’s own. Ataabu II uses a documentary drama style to tell part of this family’s story, hoping to help the younger generation understand the blood, sweat, and tears shed by those of the past. (courtesy of Encore Film)

(courtesy of Encore Film)

(courtesy of Encore Film)

(courtesy of Encore Film)

The Rocking Sky takes a female perspective on the ROC Air Force of World War II, telling not only of the courage of the pilots, but also the love and friendship between them and their kith and kin. (courtesy of CNEX)

(courtesy of CNEX)

(courtesy of CNEX)

Song of the Reed, a documentary about Taiwanese women made “comfort women” of the Japanese in World War II, eschews the stereotypical approach to victims, instead taking a low-key look at the real lives of these nowelderly women. (courtesy of Fanciful Media)

(courtesy of Fanciful Media)

(courtesy of Fanciful Media)

Wansei Back Home depicts friendships and relationships that reach across space and time, and courage in the face of overwhelming odds, to touch on the true meaning of life. (courtesy of Activator Marketing Company)

(courtesy of Activator Marketing Company)